Cissie Sewell
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Cissie Sewell | |
|---|---|
 Cissie Sewell, from a 1920 publication | |
| Born | about 1893 London |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer, ballet mistress |
| Known for | Longtime association with Noël Coward and Charles B. Cochran |
| Spouse | Cyril Biddulph |
Elizabeth H. "Cissie" Sewell (born about 1893 – died after 1954) was an English-born stage actress, dancer, and ballet mistress, wife of Irish-born Canadian performer Cyril Biddulph.
Sewell was born in London. She trained as a dancer with Adeline Genée,[1][2] and later with William C. Zerffi.[3]
Career
Sewell appeared on the London stage as a child in Alice Through the Looking Glass (1903–1904),[4] and created dances for the London production of the musical Kissing Time (1919).[5] Her Broadway credits included roles in The Bachelor Belles (1910), A Winsome Widow (1912), The Girl from Montmartre (1912–1913), The Marriage Market (1913),[6] The Girl from Utah (1914), Hitchy-Koo (1917), Her Regiment (1917),[7] The Girl Behind the Gun (1918–1919),[8] Miss Millions (1919–1920), and Honey Girl (1920).[9][10]
Off-stage, Sewell endorsed musical instruments,[11] and worked with playwright Noël Coward, music director Elsie April, and producer Charles B. Cochran,[12][13] especially as ballet mistress on the American and Australian productions of Bitter Sweet.[14][15] She was also ballet mistress for a London production of Lights Up! in 1940.[16] "Cissie's memory was fantastic," recalled Noël Coward in his autobiography. "In addition to her other virtues, an outspoken critical faculty allied to the kindest heart imaginable."[17]
She and her younger sister Georgie toured as a dancing act together.[18][19] A third Sewell sister, Marie, was also an actress.[20]